Trainer asks stewards to review ride at Belterra Park

Tommy Drury was so disappointed in the ride his trainee Afleet Vintage received from Albin Jiminez in the second race Thursday at Belterra Park that the trainer has removed the jockey from all his horses this coming weekend.

Drury said he called the stewards immediately after the race, which received additional attention when Cincinnati-based tout Dan Cronin posted video of the race on his X platform @Fatbaldguyracin.

"In yesterday's second race at Belterra Park, I was extremely disappointed in how our horse was ridden," Drury told Horse Racing Nation on Friday morning. "I immediately asked the stewards to review the ride, and my understanding is that they are doing so. While that review is pending, I've made changes to my riding assignments for Friday and Saturday."

Drury trains Afleet Vintage for breeders Richard Knapp and Richard Agnello. The 4-year-old Afleet Alex colt won a $5,000 maiden claimer on July 23 at Belterra by 15 lengths with Jimenez aboard. The pair reunited Thursday as the odds-on favorite in a $5,000 claimer for non-winners of two.

Afleet Vintage appeared to break well from the rail and settled mid-pack in the field of five. He coasted behind leaders through moderate fractions of 25.20, 49.63 and 1:15.22 in the one-mile race on dirt rated as fast. Afleet Vintage did not make a threatening move until the final quarter-mile when eventual winner Permit to Carry, the 3.1-1 third choice, was well clear en route to a three-length victory. Complicating matters was that apprentice Summer Pauly was aboard the winner, and she is the mother of Jimenez's child.

"Afleet Vintage was mid field early and was allowed to settle down the backstretch then angled out at the head of the lane and closed to get up for place," the Equibase chart said.

The short comments read, "Allowed to settle, closed" and "stalked, ridden out."

Belterra stewards confirmed Friday morning that it received a complaint and that they would review the race later in the morning. Neither those stewards nor Jimenez's agent Bert Crawford would confirm whether Jimenez would be present for the review.

But Crawford did say that Jimenez sought counsel regarding a possible lawsuit against Cronin.

"He must have lost $2," Crawford said. "If you go on his social media, all he does is bash jockeys. He goes from Irad Ortiz to guys at Belterra. It's just ridiculous. Every 1-5 who gets beat, let's blame the jockey."

"There's an attorney involved. He will be sued."

Through Aug. 21, Jimenez and Drury were an impressive 15: 6-5-2 at the current Belterra meeting. Drury has one starter on Friday's card, but Irving Moncada has that assignment. Jimenez was named on Drury's lone Saturday runner, so Green Lady, the 5-2 morning-line favorite in an allowance for Ohio-breds, will need a new jockey.

Jimenez and Pauly have ridden in 72 races together at the current Belterra meeting. Jimenez is 24-for-72 in those races with a 33.3% win percentage. Pauly is 11-for-72 with a 15.2% rate. She is 9-for-54 in races without Jimenez, good for 16%. Jimenez is 57-for-191, or 29.8%.